Hero
by PRiNCESS0418
Summary: "Do you believe in heroes?" "I do now."
1. Jordyn Lynn Flick

**Disclaimer**: I do not, in any way, own any Marvel characters. I do, however, own this plotline and any characters I have created.

Yes, yes, I know I have another fic. The response for that one hasn't been very…good so far, and I simply couldn't resist this plotline. This is just a short intro to the two main characters more than anything! The next chapter should be up…soon. Sometime today or tomorrow, I should expect [:

* * *

"…and then, the damned doctor tells me I'm gonna die in two weeks. Two effin' weeks. So I look the damned idiot in the eye…and I tell him, 'There's no effing way I'm dying in two weeks.'"

"You sound like you have toilet paper stuffed in your mouth, sweetie. It's ruining your attractiveness."

Jordyn swiveled around on the chair she was sitting in. Her head lolling, she squinted at the man standing before her. The man peered at her through gleaming sunglasses.

"Listen," she drawled. "I got two damned weeks to live, so don't you tell me I sound like I got toilet paper in my mouth"

"Ooh, feisty. Are you saying that 'cause you're drunk, or are you drunk 'cause it's true?" he asked, sitting next to her. "I want bourbon—the best you got," he told the bartender.

"I'm drunk 'cause it's true," she replied sullenly. "I got two damned weeks to live, so why live the life of a saint?"

"Well said."

The mysterious man took a long swig from the glass and studied the woman again.

"So…why are you dying?"

"What, you don't recognize me?" Her words were slurred. "Jordyn Lynn Flick, the miracle survivor of the plane crash last week."

She threw her arms out, almost toppling off the tall bar chair.

"Little, bitty pieces of the damn bomb's in me, racing to my heart. So I tell the idiot doctor, 'You can't take the little bombs out?' and he goes, 'Not unless you want to die'. I'm gonna die anyway, so why not do it earlier? I tell the guy to just do it, and he tells me it's against the rules. What damned rules? Rules were made to be broken," she rambled.

"Mhm."

"And then the damned fool tells me I gotta tell my family. What family? I got no stupid family. Hell, they disowned me years ago. So what do I do? I come here. I come here to get wasted, that's what I do. And now I'm telling a mysterious guy all about my messed up life."

"Tell me, Jordyn. Why don't you and I go to my house, and we can have some fun?" he suddenly asked.

"You got booze?"

"All the types in the world," he said, a wry smile tugging at his lips. "I personally don't drink it…"

"I'm goin' there for the booze, you hear? Not for your bed…"

With a groan, she tumbled off the chair. The man caught her neatly, gently helping her into a standing position.

"Oh yeah…" she mumbled. "What's your name?"

"Tony," he said, grunting as he lifted her into his car. "Tony Stark."


	2. The Beginning

When Jordyn woke up again, she was lying on an impossibly soft bed. She burrowed her face into the silky blankets, breathing in the fresh scent. It took her a while to realize that she wasn't in her own bed.

"What the…?"

She rolled out of the bed, landing with a soft thump on the thick, shaggy carpet laid out on the floor. The moment her body hit the floor, the entire room lit up with a very soft but bright light.

"You're awake."

Tony strolled into the room ever so casually, holding a mug.

"Do you remember…at all, what happened yesterday?" he asked, stirring sugar into the rich black coffee.

Jordyn shook her head slowly, eying Tony.

"Hey, aren't you—"

"Yes, I'm Tony Stark. And you're Jordyn Lynn Flick," he finished for her, walking to the bed.

"How do you know…"

"You told me," he interrupted again. "Along with every single detail of the plane accident…and why you're dying."

Jordyn froze, clutching the silky sheets closer to her chest. Beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, and she quickly wiped them away. Tony watched her carefully.

"Wait. Before we move on, why am I in your bed?" she asked, glancing down into the folds of the blanket.

"You came here for the booze." A playful smirk twitched at the corner of his mouth. "Not my bed. Remember?"

"Right…and why this sudden act of charity, Mr. Stark? Did you feel some pity for the poor drunk girl that's going to die within the next two weeks?" she asked sarcastically.

"Yes, and…no. I pitied you because you had no family, no friends. I didn't bring you here out of pity, though. I brought you here because…well, I think I can help you."

Sparks flew down her spine. Her arms twitched impulsively. Gritting her teeth, she regained her composure.

"Because…you can help me," she repeated. "Listen, I went to the best doctors. None of them can cure me without killing me."

"Ah," he said knowledgeably. "From a medical point of view, you have a 0% mortality rate. From the Stark point of view, you have a 100% mortality rate."

Jordyn glared at him.

"Listen," she said impatiently. "If you're here to brag about your success rate, now is not the time. As you know, I only have—"

"I can guarantee you life. Don't you want to live?" he asked quietly.

"I…I…"

"Exactly."

Tony paced around on the shaggy carpet, deep in thought.

"First, we need to—" _Slap_.

"That's for taking advantage of a drunken girl," she told him pointedly.

"Okay, I guess I deserve that. First…I need to run some tests on you," he told her. "A full scan on your heart…stuff like that. That okay with you?"

"Who's going to do the tests?"

"Me, because I have the special ability to look right through a person," he said.

"Really?" She sounded genuinely surprised.

"No. Are you always that gullible?"

"I'm not gullible—"

"Sure you aren't, darling."

She glared at him. Tony stared back indifferently.

"Anyways," he said aloud. "Shall we get started?"

"Lead the way," she said stiffly. "_Mr. Stark_."

"I will, _Jordyn_."

Jordyn scowled but followed as Tony led the way. He walked down countless hallways and corridors, through a seemingly endless maze of mirrors and electronic voices.

"Tony! Tony!"

A beautiful woman came into sight as they turned a corner. Her hair was a brilliant shade of red, and her eyes were emerald green. She held a black clipboard in her arms, a pen tucked smartly into her hair.

"Tony," she said, more formally.

Jordyn looked at the two of them in surprise. There was a certain tension building—was it over her? All traces of the playful smile that had graced his lips had melted away instantly as she entered.

"Yes, Pepper?" he said pointedly.

"You need to sign these documents," she said, rather icily. "I need to send it in a couple of hours."

He bent down to sign the papers. When he was done, he smacked the pen down onto the clipboard and turned away.

"Sorry for the interruption," he said to Jordyn.

"Uh…no problem." She let out a nervous chuckle. "You must be…"

"Virginia Potts," she interrupted. "But you can call me Pepper."

"I…uh…right."

"Well," said Tony, breaking the heavy silence. "I have to run some tests. I'll see you soon, Peps."

"Will that be all, Ms. Potts?" he tried again.

"That will be all, Mr. Stark," she replied stonily.

She turned and walked away quickly, maneuvering around a corner and disappearing quickly into the maze.

"Okay…what was—"

"No time to explain," cut in Tony. "We have to get moving."

At last, they arrived at a door. This door, unlike the other glass doors, was solid. After a series of long passwords, the black door slid open. Tony, unlike his usual self, looked very solemn as he entered the room.

"Jarvis," he called. "You in here?"

"Of course, sir," replied the smooth voice. "All systems are go for the testing."

"Mm…great," he said, sitting down. "Sit."

Jordyn walked cautiously to the solid white table and hoisted herself on. She looked around the room, which was completely smooth and white. There was nothing, other than the table she was sitting on and the black chair that Tony was on.

"And…this is a state-of-the-art medical facility?"

"Yes," said Tony, looking rather amused. "Jarvis, get the scans ready."

A portion of the wall separated, sliding forward to reveal two sleek arms. The tiny metal fingers twirled around in the air, little laser points whizzing around on the white walls.

"Jordyn, I suggest you lie down," said Tony, distracted by the screen in front of him.

Jordyn lay down on the hard surface, squirming to get comfortable.

"Close your eyes."

There was a smooth whir beside her, and then a queer feeling that melted throughout her body. She shivered lightly, trying to analyze the warm tingle that spread from her head to her toes. She held still, her arms rigid at her sides and her legs stretched far.

"I want every single molecule in her body," said Tony. "Go down to the smallest detail."

This time, a cool tingle swept through her body. She shivered again, her eyes itching to open. At last, there were no more noises and she finally dared to open her eyes. Tony was standing over here, his hands hovering millimeters away from her body. With a flourish, he lifted his arms. The result was quite astounding. Moving with his hands, an exact replica of her body was lifted into the air. All of her features—even the tiny little scar between her thumb and forefinger had been replicated onto the duplicate Jordyn. The clothing she was wearing, a tasteful cashmere sweater and skinny jeans was on her body. She watched, amazed by the sight. Tony dragged the image to the table that had suddenly appeared and lay the figure down. He looked down at the figure, his fingers twiddling around the body.

"That needs to come off," he said, reaching into the hologram.

He pulled the cashmere sweater off the body and tossed it behind him; it dissolved into the air. The tank top she had been wearing underneath the sweater was discarded, as were her undergarments.

"Mr. Stark!" she cried, flustered. "What are you doing?"

"Medical exam," he replied, tossing the jeans to the side. "Ooh, lace."

She blushed a deep red as the final piece of clothing was torn off her virtual body. Although embarrassed, she couldn't complain. She watched in stunned humiliation as he asked for a scalpel and literally sliced the chest open. Suddenly, she could see all her inner organs. She pulled a face.

"I think I'll go out," she declared. "I don't want to watch this."

"Jarvis will lead the way," he said nonchalantly. "Jarvis? Take her to the new room."

"Yes sir."

With every step she took, lights blinked to point her in the right direction. At last, she arrived at a majestic room. The walls were a refreshing aqua blue, but the furniture was all white. She sprawled out on the bed, stretching out.

"Jarvis?" she called tentatively.

"Yes, Ms. Flick?" returned the voice, promptly.

"Is there something I can change into? I've been wearing this for two days…it's uncomfortable," she said, pulling at the cashmere sweater.

"Mr. Stark has prepared a wardrobe for you," he said. "Would you like to see it?"

"Uh…yes."

She tried to look unimpressed as a portion of the wall slid open, revealing a stunning walk-in closet.

"Where are the smalls?" she asked, walking slowly into the closet.

"These clothes are all your size, Ms. Flick. He got your basic measurements when you were sleeping and ordered clothing in your specific size."

She was silent as she paced around the closet, browsing through the clothing. Everything was arranged according to color, from the sequined red dresses to the plain white t-shirts. At last, she settled on a simple navy skirt and striped shirt.

"Um…Jarvis?

"Yes, Ms. Flick?"

"I take it that Ms. Potts doesn't approve of me?" she said tentatively, waiting for the robot's response.

"Ms. Potts believes that what Mr. Stark is currently doing is…irresponsible," said Jarvis. "There is nothing to worry about, Ms. Flick."

She heard the clear dismissal of the subject, even in the mechanical voice.

"All right," she said quickly, trying to change of the subject. "Are there any…restrictions? On what I can and can't do…"

"None, Ms. Flick. Mr. Stark has even opened a part of his bank account for your personal use."

"How much money is there?" she asked, biting her lip.

"Four million dollars," replied the computerized voice. "You may use it for shopping or any experiments that you would like to conduct. He has always designated a testing facility. You are also permitted to use the fitness center, kitchen, and virtually any bedroom.

Instead of being ecstatic like most people would, she became absolutely furious. Did this man truly think that he could win her full cooperation by giving her copious amounts of money? Fuming, she flopped down onto the bed and blew the hair out of her eyes.

She was bound—absolutely bound. She couldn't insult him, at least not too severely. If she happened to do so, she would lose her chance to live. If she happened to do so, she would never see Austin again.

* * *

The tension between Pepper & Tony!

Who is Austin?

;D


End file.
